Frog Legs For Dinner
by kiss-of-cuteness
Summary: Hermione and Draco became friends during their sixth year at hogwarts. Lucius discovers their plans to meet over the summer and decides to intervene.... COMPLETE
1. Hermione's Thoughts

Chapter One 

Hermione Granger was not a girl who was often confused; her motto being, "when in doubt go to the library." Books, however, could not give answers to questions that dealt with the heart. Under a pseudonym she had written to Rita Skeeter who was, due to the end of her career as a malicious journalist, the new 'Dear Anne' for the _Daily Prophet_. The answer she had received was the same one she had come to the conclusion of: follow your heart.

At the beginning of her fifth year at Hogwarts Hermione had been made a prefect. This elevation, although welcome for the increase in the teachers' faith in her, forced her to associate with others who had been honoured in the same way. Despite the fact that she had her red-headed, best-friend Ron to brave prefect meetings with her, sometimes it took all her strength of will to keep from hexing the Slytherin prefects; namely Malfoy.

Throughout the school year though, Malfoy and she had been brought together by the need to keep the other students in the school, to some extent, rule abiding. A dubious friendship had ensued when, together, they had caught a third-year Ravenclaw jinxing the paintings and causing the occupants of the pictures to hide behind the frames in embarrassment; humiliated by their new found and unwanted nudity.

Hermione had kept their friendship a secret and had never mentioned it to Harry or Ron; afraid of their reactions. Harry would try to remain calm and reason her out of being friends with Draco. His green eyes would flash every time the name of his adversary came up though. And Ron, Ron would splutter then turn red, yell, "How could you?" mutter about "fraternising with the enemy," and pace the room. She didn't want to upset her friends but neither did she want to give up her association with Draco. She had seen another side of him, a side, it seemed, no one else knew existed. That part of him she addressed as Draco. The surface he displayed before the public was still Malfoy.


	2. Malfoy Manner

**Chapter 2**

Draco paced his capacious room with anxiety. He strode to the window and flung open the heavy, sable drapes. He rested his chin in his hand as his eyes roved across the sky, their aquiline gaze failing to change the clouds to grey or cause the sky to darken although from the look of them it seemed as if they held that power.

Draco had sent an owl to Hermione requesting she meet him at his paternal grandfather's house. Draco's own father, Lucius, refused to talk about his father, Will, who was a squib and much the nicer for that it appeared. Draco was glad that Grandfather Will had been so immensely pleased at him having a mudbl- no, muggle-born girl as a friend. He had been so pleased, in fact, that he had offered the small cottage where he lived as a meeting place for the two of them. It was one of the things Draco was grateful to his grandfather for. Hermione and he had to put up with Will's ribald jokes about them as a couple, but apart from blushing with embarrassment every once in a while it was a perfect spot. Hermione did not have to meet his family and he did not have to meet with hers. Although Hermione's parents would be happy to meet him, the abhorrence of muggles that had been drilled into him from birth still existed as a slight aversion. Hermione was doing her best to erase this dislike from his make-up.

Suddenly, his pensive mood turned into one of elation as he saw Hermione's tawny owl, Circe, soar towards him across the virtually cloudless sky. As the owl landed on the windowsill Draco grabbed for the piece of parchment tied to her leg with alacrity. Circe hooted in fear and took a step back from the pair of grasping hands.

"Shhh... Circe, I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to know what Hermione has to say." When the owl continued to look at him mistrustfully he quickly reached for some owl treats that were on his bedside table. Draco held out his hand to the nocturnal bird and Circe shuffled closer and grudgingly accepted a treat from Draco's left hand allowing Draco to remove the parchment from her leg. Draco unrolled the paper and read:

_Draco,_

_I would love to meet you at Will's house on Thursday. I haven't seen you in more than a week and, as much as I miss you, I find the lack of new swear words to use (issued from your grandfather's mouth) even more depressing – joking, I SWEAR – no pun intended._

_Love, Hermione_

Love? Draco's heart beat quickened but he quickly suppressed it. She loved him as a friend and he loved her back in exactly the same way. The fact that her beautiful smile made him want to smile, her perfume made him light-headed in a good way, and that he often wanted to continue staring into her starlit eyes long after she had broken eye-contact were not thoughts he wanted to think about at the moment.

(A/N Second chapter's up. please read and review. let me know what you think. any thoughts are welcome. tell me the good, the bad and the ugly. Love Sierra)


	3. Lucius

**Chapter 3**

Lucius Malfoy grimaced. His son, Draco, was not the only person who had noticed the entrance

of the tawny bird. Having once intercepted the bird himself he realized that Draco must be

receiving another letter from the mudblood: Granger. He could not understand how his son, his ****

**pureblood** son, could lower himself to associating with a witch of no wizarding background. At

this thought his face contorted. The very thought of amity between them made him shudder.

Then a malevolent smile came over his chiselled features. The day after the tawny owl arrived his

son always left the house, evasive of his whereabouts. Tomorrow, yes tomorrow, Lucius would

follow him.

(A/N) Sorry this chapter was so short, I just wanted to give you some insight on how Lucius feels about the whole deal.  
Lylas, Sierra


	4. Confrontation

Chapter 4 

Draco wished his father were his stepfather, that way his loathing of Lucius would be better

justified. Draco was pulling on his cloak and shoes, preparing for the walk through the forest to

his grandfather's poky cottage when Lucius strode into the foyer.

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"Son," his attempt at familiarity went unnoticed by Draco who had become jittery and nervous

at the sight of his father. "May I enquire as to your destination?" Lucius asked his voice cloaked

amiably. Draco could hear the steel underneath.

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Draco froze. Could his father possibly know his itinerary? "I'm going for a walk in the forest,

sir," Draco prevaricated, hoping the partial truth would be enough to cloak the full truth and

satisfy his father.

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"Would this walk be for any, hmm, particular reason?" Lucius questioned emphasising the word

'particular'. While speaking he had strode across the floor to close the distance between himself

and Draco. His son was forced to tilt his head backward to look into Lucius' cold, grey eyes.

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"He knows," thought Draco. Aloud he said, "Care of Magical Creatures. That stupid, half-

blood Hagrid wants us to try and find magical beasts while we're away from school and report

on how they live in their natural environments. He's probably just too lazy to catch them himself.

Or too oafish, the great, blubbering clod," Malfoy spat out.

--------------------

Lucius smiled sardonically. "Well that sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Have fun and try to find a

two-headed Polyp." Lucius' grin increased in width as he saw relief cross his son's face.

Draco's brows ceased to be furrowed and the tiny lines that had etched themselves onto his

forehead straightened leaving Draco's visage pale and smooth once again. "Why, my fool of a

son believes me," mused Lucius, "I should educate him in legilimency."

----------------------

Draco's fears assuaged, he turned towards the immense oaken doors carved with the Malfoy's

coat of arms and stepped onto the granite stairs. His knees still quivered slightly from the close

encounter he had just had with his father so he clasped his hand around the wrought-iron

banister. With his head held high Draco, like many of his forebears, walked proudly down the

stairs, showing no indication that he was entering the forest to meet a girl of muggle origins.

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A/N Hey everybody, hope you're enjoying the story so far. The next chapter is my favourite chapter as well as chapter 10. Please read and review thx.


	5. Silver trebled laughter

1I've completely forgotten the disclaimer before now so this one applies to this chapter as well as the earlier chapters and any chapters I forget to disclaim in the future.

Disclaimer: This story, unfortunately, does not belong to me and neither do the characters. Actually Will belongs to me but I give J.K Rowling full permission to use him if she ever wants :P

Chapter 5

Hermione sauntered through the forest pausing every now and then to gather the multi-coloured

fauna that surrounded her. She didn't know where her delight came from but everything in the

forest charmed her. The birds were singing a harmony to her silver-trebled laughter that trilled at

the sight of any creature that crossed her path. She began weaving the flowers she had picked

into a floral crown for her, now tamed, curly, rich brown hair. Such was her light-heartedness

that she could have been mistaken for a faerie; she currently exhibited all of the traits of an elfin

being including the incessant need to frolic. She laughed again, spun in a circle, and fell.

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"It would be nice to have someone to catch me when I fall," she reflected. Continuing her train of

thought Hermione speculated on people she would like to hold on to if she stumbled again: "Ron

would be so shocked that he would probably drop me. Harry, well he might not do a bad job

but with Voldemort still around I wouldn't be his main concern. I need to find someone who will

always have me as their top priority." Her thoughts continued to wander. Musing over names

she stopped at, "Draco would have caught me."

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With that thought her mind drifted into an imaginary scenario in which her and Draco were

walking through the forest. Light streamed in through the leafy foliage making the dust floating in

the air glow with a golden haze. It was a perfect world; no flower was missing a petal and not a

plant had a stem that was broken. The pair laughed and talked as they continued walking down

the path hand in hand. At this realization Hermione mentally removed her hand. The pair laughed

and talked as they continued walking down the path with Draco slightly in front. Hermione's foot

caught in the gnarled root of a maple tree and she began to fall forward. As she fell she let out a

cry of surprise. Draco, hearing her exclamation, turned around just in time to catch her. He

slowly pulled her towards him. Hermione could feel the heat he emitted. As she stared up at

Draco she felt as if she were being pulled into two silver grey eyes. Hermione was lost- drowning in his eyes. Draco's head bent and began to lean

towards her. Hermione tilted her head back, up-turning her lips, which were parted slightly. She

closed her eyes and felt his warm breath on her skin as his head drew nearer to hers. There was

no space between them and his lips –

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"HERMIONE!" she chided herself. She hadn't meant to get caught up in her imagination. "What

was that anyway?" Hermione asked herself. "I can't believe I thought that about Malfoy! I mean

all either of us wants is to be friends, right?" For the rest of the walk to the cottage she pondered

the question, "what does Draco mean to me?" and returned to her fantasy to let it continue as it

would.

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**A/N** Thanks to everyone who has read the story so far, this is my favouritist chapter I think except for maybe 10 and I had so much fun writing it.

**Alenor**: you're my first reviewer, thanks so much for taking the time to read my story and review it. Lucius is definitely evil, I'm sorry, I couldn't bear to have him to nice. No reformations for me!

Lylas, Sierra


	6. The Plotting Begins

This is where it all starts! Well the super plotting and stuff. Enjoy

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**Chapter 6**

As Draco entered the forest and passed out of view from his mansion his stiff gait turned into a

stroll and he strolled through the forest. His mind wandered and soon began reliving memories

that included himself and Hermione. Calling her a mudblood but later regretting it. Wanting to

ask her to dance at the Christmas ball but instead sneering at her. Her showing him how to paint,

her hand resting on top of his, the time they got detention trying to out-yell each other in the

great hall. Him teaching her how to fly; holding onto her waist to steady her. Hermione tutoring

him in Charms; their heads bent close together. Catching the third-year removing the clothes

from the occupants of the paintings. Being –

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Draco's train of though was abruptly cut off as a tall man wearing a dark green cloak rushed up

to him. The man had the hood of his cloak up so Draco couldn't observe his face. "Do not go

this way!" he shouted into Draco's face, his voice overly anxious.

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Malfoy was puzzled by the fellow's strange manner but paused to ask, "Why not? I am a

Malfoy and am wasting my time listening to a miscreant like you."

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The hidden man replied, "Just beyond that curve in the path is a herd of wild, rabid, man-eating

thestrals. As Malfoy had never seen a person's demise and would be unable to see the thestrals

as they tore him limb from limb he had no choice but to accept this odd mans ravings as genuine

and continue on a different path.

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"Drat," spat Malfoy, there was only one other route to his grandfather's cottage but it was much

longer and he would have to cross a few streams that had no bridges. The possibility of getting

his clothes mud-stained made him cringe. "Move," he commanded the hooded figure. Shuffling

the man moved to the side of the path.

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"Very good my Lord, very good."

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At least the peasants knew how to show respect when respect was due Malfoy thought irritably.

Probably a poacher looking to find favour with his overlord, come to think of it he had never

seen his face and couldn't reward him. "Truth is," Malfoy reasoned with himself, "he probably

didn't want me to punish him." Malfoy was annoyed that he would be late for his meeting with

Hermione.

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As Malfoy strode off into the distance Lucius slowly lowered the hood of his cloak. "Excellent,"

he whispered, his eyes were calculating. He now had enough time to apparate home, look for

something belonging to his father (Lucius' manner had once belonged to Will), put the item into

the polyjuice potion he kept on hand, transform into Will, apparate to Will's cottage, dispose of

Will, murder the mudblood, apparate home before Draco arrived at Will's cottage, and get to

his appointment with the hair-dresser on time.

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A/N Is Lucius not great! Ahhhh the narcissticness of him (lol i know that's not a word but hey, it describes him) Thanks again to my reviewers

Alenor - The title is interesting isn't it

MageAurian - Yes the title is a clue but you'll figure that out by Chapter 8 or 9 or 10 i can't remember which, if you're really slow, you'll figure it out in the epilogue


	7. Father Dearest

A/N – This chapter shows the malevolentness ( I know that's not a word) of Lucius. I despise him!! But he's so fun to write

Disclaimer: I remembered this time! I don't own this story. JK Rowling does.

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**Chapter 7**

Lucius went speedily about his tasks at home. He fervently thanked the Devil for his family's

traditions of cutting a lock of hair from every family member at the age of one and preserving it

in a book. He sincerely hoped that the polyjuice potion would not turn him into a one-year old

Will. When he dropped Will's hairs into the glass of thick, grey mush, the potion turned a nasty

shade of brown; almost as if it had been peanut butter that had been left out in the rain for a few

days. He hesitantly lifted the glass to his lips and shuddered as he quickly gulped down the vile

tasting potion. The transformations began immediately. His hair shortened and turned a grisly

grey with patches of black. His eyes protruded and turned from grey to bright blue. Lucius'

figure began to bend as it was now cumbered by age. His smooth hands that had never known a

day of work transformed into gnarled and bent hands that were calloused from many years of

hard work. Lucius surveyed himself in a silver-plated mirror with figures of serpents on the

frames surface. He looked exactly like Will except for the arrogance that was evident in his

eyes. He was not too worried about Hermione finding the haughtiness odd because she couldn't

have met with her son too many times this summer. _Could she have?_

_--------------------------------------------------------_

Lucius had only noticed the tawny owl about two weeks ago so there had only been a few visits

in that time period. However, in the month preceding these two weeks Draco and Hermione had

met nearly every day. The second month of vacation though, Hermione was scheduled to stay at

The Burrow and found more difficulty getting away from Ron's home than she had from her

own. Plus, she had friends at The Burrow and they were often occupied with various activities.

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Lucius apparated to Will's cottage and looked around disdainfully. It was small and had few

elegant pieces of furniture. _It has only one room!_ Lucius thought to himself, he had never

known where his father had gone after he'd taken his inheritance at twenty-one and kicked his

father out of the manor. The only traces of Will's bygone fortune was the large, maple, four-

poster bed covered in, "Eugh," said Lucius aloud, red satin sheets and a full-length ornately

carved mirror. The table and chairs in the kitchen were wooden and looked none too stable,

there was no bathroom (Lucius assumed Will used an outhouse), and a closet held Will's

tattered clothes. Lucius looked down at his own robes and realized he would have to change,

and quickly.

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When Lucius had completed changing he heard a noise coming up the pathway. In an instant he

had his wand out and at the ready.

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A/N – So there it is, can you figure out what happens? Thanks to my reviewers:

Alenor- you've been with me since the beginning, u deserve an Oscar! I started reading your fanfic and I'll review it when I get to the end

MageAurian- you're a smart one, think title

Madnutterfan – I'm glad you're going to be a faithful reviewer. I'd review your stories if you had any.

Please read and review my new story, it's not finished yet but I won't leave it undone because I know how much I hate it when authors do that. My sister says it's better so far than this one (even if I like this one better but she's more of a love triangle type person hint hint) and she thinks this one's great, I hope you do too.


	8. Waiting

Disclaimer: I don't own this story and this chapter I remembered that I don't. Too bad.

**Chapter 8**

Will walked slowly up the walkway; his rheumatism troubling him a little. Being a squib

allowed him not only to tell the weather from his aches but when actual trouble was coming, a

human storm. He assumed that perhaps Draco and his lovely, lady friend, Hermione, might have

an argument that day. He hoped it wouldn't be too bad and that they would make up even

though his bones were telling him it was a tempest that was coming, no ordinary storm.

He stumbled across a rock that was in his path but quickly regained his balance then pushed the

door to his cottage open. Shock crossed his features. His already jutting eyes stuck out even

more. Standing in front of him was himself! "Hello, father," the likeness of Will drawled a cruel

smile crossing his features.

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Will, recognising the tone as his son's if not the voice, queried, "Lucius?"

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"It was nice to see you again, father," Lucius said sarcastically

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. "Good-bye." With that sentence he raised his wand and brought it down sharply uttering, "_fro _

_grenouille._" Will's shocked face at seeing his son became even more startled when he saw a

flash of azure light surge around him and found himself rapidly dwindling rapidly. He was there

no more. In his place was a large green frog with bulging blue eyes. "Thank you for your

hospitality," Lucius said sarcastically. He then made a lunge at the frog but it hopped away.

Realizing he did not have much time until Hermione arrived, and that he had placed an

irrevocable spell of Will (now a frog for the rest of his life), he quickly jumped into the bed and

lay there languidly. Pretending to be ill he watched the door, waiting for Hermione.

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A/N I KNOW it's a short chapter, but hey, it's a short story. I think it's 15 pages 1.5 spaced on Word. To my reviewers:

Alenor – actually I'm reading Highly Unusual, I'm a Tamora Pierce fan as well, I've been hooked on her since I met this crazy librarian who used to recommend good books but now won't go away when I tell her I have enough books or that I've already read them. Watch out for librarians!

LonelyNight – I'm glad you love the way I write, I love the way I write. You can admire my writing in Christmas with muggles too! Hint Hint

Chapter 9 will be up in a couple of days. My mom's coming home from vacation today. It's depressing.


	9. The Big Bad Lucius

**Chapter 9**

Hermione skipped up the path to the to the picturesque cottage. Why, it was so lovely, she wouldn't mind living there. She giggled to herself, her good mood not dampened by her fall in the forest and began to sing:

We were strangers starting out on a journey 

_Never dreaming what we'd have to go through_

_Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing_

_At the beginning with you._

_No one told me I was going to find you_

_Unexpected what you did to my heart_

_When I lost hope you were there to remind me_

_This is start_

_And life is a road and I want to keep going_

_Love is a river I want to keep flowing_

_Life is a road now and forever, wonderful journey._

_I'll be there when the world stops turning_

_I'll be there when the storm is through_

_In the end I want to be standing at the beginning_

_With you._

_We were strangers on a crazy adventure_

_Never dreaming how our dreams would come true_

_Now here we stand, unafraid of the future_

_At the beginning with you and_

_Life is a road and I want to keep going_

_Love is a river I want to keep flowing_

_Life is a road now and forever, wonderful journey_

_I'll be there when the world stops turning_

_I'll be there when the storm is through_

_In the end I want to be standing at the beginning_

_With you._

_I knew there was somebody somewhere_

_Like me alone in the dark_

_Now I know my dreams will live on I've been waiting so long_

_Nothings gonna tear us apart and_

_Life is a road and I want to keep going_

_Love is a river I want to keep flowing_

_Life is a road now and forever, wonderful journey_

_I'll be there when the world stops turning_

_I'll be there when the storm is through_

_In the end I want to be standing at the beginning_

_With you._

(A/N Sorry for the long song but I figured I should put something in that showed Hermione's feeling for Draco even if they're not apparent to her but she's thinking about him subconsciously)

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Lucius tensed when he heard her clear, sweet notes lilting as she flounced up the cobblestones.

She had taken a long time to get here and the hour of the polyjuice-potion was running out. He

only had three minutes to turn her into a frog and get out before Draco came. Hopefully she

would come right over to the bed, as he needed to be close to her to perform the spell.

Suddenly the door was flung open with great exuberance and a laughing, smiling, quite pretty

actually, Hermione stepped into the room. At the sight of "Will" in the bed her face fell and it

looked as if a catastrophe had just occurred. "Oh! Will!" she cried, slowly approaching the bed,

"what are your symptoms? I'm sure I can whip you up a potion that will make you feel better. I

read all about them in Magical Herbs and Remedies. I know I can make you feel better."

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"I'm feeling poorly, sweetheart," said Lucius inwardly smiling smugly. "My throat hearts a little,

and my rheumatism is bothering me something awful."

_----------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Sweetheart_? Hermione stopped in her tracks. Will never called her sweetheart. Why, the only

way he addressed her was Girl, Woman or Draco's precious pet. Hermione knew he meant the

terms endearingly and so was not bothered by there use. She shrugged, maybe the name slipped

because he was sick.

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Lucius cursed to himself. What had he done wrong? He had seen the slight pause in her feet.

Why had she hesitated to come closer to him? She probably wasn't too fond of Will. That was

all, the ribald, old man. "Honey, come over here, let me get a better look at you." Lucius didn't

want to risk getting out of the bed in case the polyjuice potion wore off before he had

transformed her into a frog.

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Hermione's eyes widened at the sound of another endearment. Something was wrong with Will.

The raucous, loud, dear man would never act like this. Just as her eyes had widened they began

to narrow. His eyes weren't bright blue, they were grey: a cold, proud, severe grey. She gasped

aloud and began to walk backwards, running out of room and almost hitting the mirror. Lucius

realized that she must have noticed something different and sprung out of bed. Hermione, afraid,

shrank back against the tall, silver-gilded mirror. She suddenly recognized the man advancing on

her. His hair had returned to its silvery-grey colour, his hands were smooth from never doing any

work, and his back straightened to bear his pride. Lucius raised his wand and directed it at

Hermione. She instinctively reached for her wand in the back pocket of her skirt but it wasn't

there. She tried to comprehend why it wasn't in place and came to the conclusion it must have

fallen out of her pocket when she had tripped in the woods. Knowing she had no chance to stop

the ruthless man who was towering over her she stood a little taller and stared at him, prepared

to meet her fate.

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"Well, well. Gryffindor pride I see. It will not get you too far, you see, my pretty little mudblood.

I do not permit my son to fraternize with such society and for breaking my rules you'll have to

pay the price." With these last words he began the incantation, "_fro gre –"_

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**A/N **And that's where the action starts. Cliffie ending, i know. Please read and review.

**Thanks to reviewers:**

**Alenor** – I am reading Highly Unusual it's good. Most librarians are nice. Just this one was scary. Those old rheumatic people thank God for predictions. Frogs Forever!

**MageAurian** – I am writing, and here's the next chapter. All I need is some Jaws music.

**Madnutterfan** – Don't be put off Draco!!! I made him so nice in this story. Just Lucius is evil.

**Xsilentxonex146** – I'm updating today which is right now. Lol

**Dumdumditz23** – We need a bit of a crisis in the story. Sorry Hermione.


	10. Moment of Truth

**A/N **This is the last chapter. There will be an epilogue however! Enjoy the chapter, it's one of my favourites

**Chapter 10**

Draco stood at the door. Paralysed with horror at the scene that was unfolding in front of him. He saw Will change into his father, intent on hurting Hermione, he saw Hermione back up afraid. Draco's mind was in turmoil. He owed obedience to his father but could he commit the crime of not attempting to help Hermione? Especially since he lov- since they were friends?

"_Fro gre-"_

Draco made up his mind. He sprinted as fast as he could towards the spot were Hermione lay rooted to the floor. Tackling her, he knocked her to the floor shielding her body with his own. Lucius, not having enough time to comprehend what was happening and stop the spell finished his conjuration.

_"Fro grenouille."_

The beam of cerulean light shot out of his wand tinting the room a light blue. His aim would have been perfect, he would have hit Hermione, and she would have been irrevocably a frog if only his son had not brought her to the ground. His look of anger dissipated as he realized that the curse had hit the mirror and was now returning for him. His eyes, no longer narrow in anger, open in fear. Then before had time to make a desperate lunge to safety, the spell hit him in the chest. He felt his bones begin to change and he screamed in agony and terror as he began to shrink, the ground rushing up faster than he believed possible.

Draco, realizing that he could not let his father loose, disentangled himself from Hermione and dashed across the wooden floor to grasp the fleeing frog. Not knowing what to do with the frog, he grabbed a bucket from the corner and trapped the frantic frog underneath it.

Hermione sat up shakily and looked at her rescuer. He was standing on the other side of the room and was starting to breathe heavily.

"Hermione," he said, sounding relieved.

When she heard her name she rose to her feet and stumbled across the wooden floor towards Draco. When she reached him she leaned into his chest and felt his arms encircle her waist, holding her. It hit her that she had nearly been permanently transfigured into a frog and she dissolved into tears. Draco could feel the sobs racking her body as he held her close, trying to comfort her.

"Shhh, it's alright, it's going to be okay," he whispered attempting to make her stop crying. He gently stroked her back, letting her break down against him. "My father can't hurt us anymore, you're safe, and that's all that matters." He pushed a strand of hair back from her face and gently tucked it behind her ears. With this tender demonstration of friendship Hermione looked up at him.

"D-Draco, you haven't got a father any more," she said still upset with the day's events. "You saved me instead of your father," she spoke quietly now, her voice choked with emotion. With these words she felt something inside of her, she wasn't quite sure what it was but she felt that she needed Draco, and that she couldn't go one with life properly if he wasn't always there for her.

Draco took a deep breath and stroked her cheek gently with his thumb then slowly turned her face upward to look at him. In that moment he realized that he wanted nothing more than to have her, to hold her, to love her and to cherish her for the rest of his life. Using all of his courage he told her.

"I love you Hermione Granger."

Hermione stopped breathing. _He loved her. He LOVED her. He L-O-V-E-D her. And she loved him. I love him. I LOVE him._ With this moment of cognisance she looked at him. In his eyes there was fear. Fear that his love was unrequited, that his declaration had been rash, that she didn't love him.

"Hermione, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that, it's just I'd give up anything for you."

"Draco," she replied, smiling," I love you too."

A look of astonishment crossed his face when she said these words and suddenly he found himself kissing her. Her lips were sweeter than anything he had ever tasted. He could feel her press against him, leaning into the warmth and stability he provided.

"Hermione," he pulled away suddenly. She looked slightly hurt, "What about Harry and Ron."

"I don't care," she replied laughing. "I don't care." Hermione reached up and pulled his lips back to hers.

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A/N Haha they're finally together!!! It makes me want to dance. The "I don't care" line is supposed to be said the way Charlie Hunnam says it in Nicholas Nickleby (an awesome movie)

**Shout outs to reviewers:**

madnutterfan- yes Hermione overdosed on the sugar, or on happy thoughts. I'm surprised she didn't start flying in a Peter Pan type way lol

DracoLover - I'm glad you think this is a great fic. It's my fav, I like it more than the other one. Around Christmas time I think I'll start another Draco Hermione fic that's going to be so awesome, I have a lot of ideas.

Alenor - of course Draco came and saved the day. He's her knight in shining armor! (I don't know how to spell armor)


	11. Epilogue: At the Beginning

**Epilogue**

After the kiss ended Hermione stayed close to Draco and was protectively held by him. "Draco," she queried, "what will we do with your father? I mean, we can't prove the frog is him, nor can a frog be sent to Azkaban."

"We could keep him in captivity, and starve him," replied Draco maliciously.

"Even though he deserves death we can't make it a cruel one," Hermione said indignantly. "It has to be quick. That summer I was in France we had some of the most amazing food."

"Hermione," Draco spluttered, "this is an important time, we're trying to decide the fate of Lucius and all you can think about is food?"

"Well not exactly. My favourite recipe was frogs legs."

"Are you saying," Draco asked catching on, "that we should have frog legs for dinner?"

"Well, that was what I was hinting at," replied Hermione mischievously, locking her arms around Draco's neck, "unless of course, you had other ideas?"

"My dear, I think you should have been a Slytherin."

Hermione laughed melodically at this and asked, "Would you like me to start cooking?"

Draco nodded as he watched Hermione putter around the kitchen and begin to boil water in a large black pot giving no thought to the missing Will. She shrieked suddenly when reaching for spices and he was instantly at her side. "What is it," he inquired affectionately.

"There was a frog," she replied shaking, "but it didn't have grey eyes. It had blue eyes, beautiful blue eyes."

"Will," he said with a sharp intake of breath. "Lucius must have transfigured him..."

"And we can't change him back," she said finishing his sentence. "What are we going to do?"

"He'll just have to stay with us," responded Draco trying to remain calm. "I'll catch bugs for him, or he can catch them himself, and we'll build a nice pond for him to live in at Malfoy Manner."

Hermione agreed with his plan for action and thanked God that he had sent someone so wonderful into her life. After she finished cooking the frog, Lucius, for supper they say down and each ate a leg, reminiscing about their past. Recalling the happy moments they had had between them with tenderness and apologizing for when they had hurt each other. Hermione stayed with Draco for the rest of the summer and they knew they were truly in love.

They had a bond that could not be broken. It was not based purely on their attraction to each other as it may have appeared when they first became cognizant of their feelings towards each other, it grew on that, they had a deep respect for each other and were matched well intellectually. The pair could talk about anything, serious or frivolous. Frog legs became their favourite meal and, to the dismay of some of their guests, they served it as the main course at their wedding.

So with laughter and love they lived their lives together. When they grew old, they died on the same day and were buried in the same grave. Their shared tomb stone read "They lived a faerie tale life." For once this epitaph was true because after Lucius had died, they _had_ lived happily ever after.

**A/N **And that is the end. I love my story, it's my baby and it's all over. Boo hoo :( I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read and review this story. I also encourage you to check out Christmas With Muggles. I personally don't think it is as good as this one but a bunch of people have told me it's better. It's definitely longer (I surpassed this one's length in about three chapters, maybe two). If you only read my story because it's a Draco Hermione fic I have good news for you. When I reach chapter ten on Christmas With Muggles I'm going to start a new fic (I just finished writing chapter 7 for it so do a happy dance) that's Draco/Hermione. I'm going to put another chapter in after the epilogue outlining the story. If you could review that chapter specifically it would really help, especially with any ideas or comments. I'll post it at the same time as this so I can get your feedback before I start writing. Anyways, I hope you liked this story as much as I did and continue reading my fanfiction. AND, if you're reading this months after I've posted it, please review still, reviews make me do a happy dance, actually, almost anything makes me do a happy dance. But feedback and constructive criticism is always welcome. Oh, I almost forgot. I think the song I used in chapter 9 would be appropriate here. _Now here we are, and I'm suddenly standing, at the beginning with you._

Shout Outs to Reviewers 

Sarah – I'm glad you like this story and my writing style. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and this story is over. Please review my other and upcoming stories with as much praise (only if they deserve it though)

Alenor – you have met your fellow romantic. I wait for guys to sweep me off my feet (except for the time I accidentally made out with my neighbour while playing hide and go seek in the dark – I made up for it though, this guy gave me his pillow at this overnight thing because I forgot mine. That was knightly).

Madnutterfan – you put your trust in the right place. Now that they're solidly together though, it's the end, except you can read about my idea for them in the next chapter lol

MageAurian – The song is from Anastasia. I love the movie as well. Chapter 10 was my favourite chapter as well, except for maybe chapter 5 actually no, chapter 10 was my favourite. Charlie Hunnam is hot.


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